John Quincy Adams Digital Diary

5. IV. Sun rose 4:38. Potowmac Bath— Garden visit. 36 White Heart Cherry Stones

Although the morning was cold, I bathed and swam about ten minutes from the rock, alone— Then spent two hours in the garden, where at every visit enquiries multiply upon me— In this small garden of less than two Acres, there are forest and fruit trees, shrubs, hedges, esculent vegetables, kitchen and Medicinal herbs, hot house plants, flowers and weeds, to the amount I conjecture of at least one thousand. One half of them perhaps are common weeds, most of which have none but the botanical name— I ask the name of every plant I see— Ousley the Gardener knows almost all of them by their botanical names, but the numbers to be discriminated, and recognized, are baffling to the memory, and confounding to the judgment— From the small patch where the medicinal herbs stand together I plucked this morning leaves of Balm, and Hyssop, Marjoram, Mint, Rue, Sage, Tansy, Targon, and Wormwood, one half of which were known to me only by the name— The Tarragon, not even by that— I read the second chapter of Du Hamel, upon the climate and exposition, adapted to different trees— He divides them generally into mountain and valley trees, and marks the quarters of the compass to be considered in fixing their various sites— Eckloff the Tailor was here professionally— Dr Lewis Beers comes from the western part of the State of New York, and brought me a Letter of Introduction from David Woodcock, dated at Ithaca. A Stranger was with him whose name was not mentioned— J. J. Meyer is a young man from Saint Gal, in Switzerland, who said he was introduced to me last Winter by Mr Cazenove of Alexandria, which I had forgotten— He has been travelling through the Western and some of the Southern States, and to the Havana— And is now on his return to Europe: with the intention as he says of coming back in two or three years to settle in this Country. Mr Lowrie, the Secretary of the Senate, made a short visit, being upon some official business in the City— Mr Handy who some time since applied for the appointment of two of his Sons, one as a Cadet and the other as a midshipman, came to say, that he gave up the first of these applications, to urge with reinforced energy the other. Mr Clay came with Condy Raguet, late Charge d’Affaires of the United States at Rio de Janeiro— He gave me some new particulars of his motives for demanding his Passports, without orders from his Government, and coming away. He thinks that the Spirit and energy of his proceedings alarmed the Government of Brazil—and induced them to offer that promise of satisfaction for all just complaints which they have made through their Charge d’Affaires here, Rebello; and he said that he hoped the Confidence which I had so often shewn him would not be withdrawn— I told him that my opinion of his integrity, patriotism and zeal, was unimpaired—that I was convinced of the purity of his motives to the steps he had taken but that I had thought it would have been better, if he had before taking that step Consulted his Government. Mr Calvert and his son George paid a visit upon their return from Europe— Mr Southard called, with the draught of a Letter to Mr. Sands declining the reference of the question of title to the Navy Yard Lands at Brooklyn to arbitrators— Mr Rush brought a claim from the Administrators of Athanasius Fenwick a Collector in Maryland, for fees paid to Counsel for defending a suit brought against him for a seizure, in which he was ultimately justified— He had also a correspondence with the Collector at Bristol, Drury who retains public monies too long in his hands, and to whom a peremptory order is to be transmitted to pay over the money immediately— Likewise some question about the appointment of B. Hook as deputy Collector again at Castine— Letter from S. K. Gilman, assigning his reasons for the appointment, which is to be confirmed. Mr Clay brought translation of a long note from Salmon, Chargé d’Affaires of Spain, complaining of Commodore Porters proceedings at Key West, as violating the neutrality of the United States— Cabinet Meeting to be at 1. on Thursday— John R. Penniman here this Eve a Painter from Boston—